Press Room

HISTORY MUSEUM WELCOMES NEW U.S. CITIZENS ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

Naturalization Ceremony and New Exhibit Connect Past and Present on the Fourth of July

The Charlotte Museum of History will honor America’s birthday with one of its most inspiring traditions—a Naturalization Ceremony for new U.S. citizens—on Friday, July 4, 2025. The annual event is free and open to the public.

CHARLOTTE MUSEUM OF HISTORY WILL BRING NEW AMERICAN REVOLUTION EXHIBIT TO THE CAROLINAS IN APRIL 2026

Museum seeks additional community support to complete exhibit funding

The Charlotte Museum of History is proud to announce a new exhibit, “American Revolution, the Augmented Exhibition,” opening in April 2026. This national exhibit provides an immersive experience of the defining moments that shaped America and its ideals of freedom and liberty. The Charlotte Museum of History will be the only place in the Carolinas where people can see the exhibit.

MUSEUM RECOGNIZES LOCAL HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND THE PEOPLE WHO PRESERVE THEM AT 2025 CHARLOTTE GEM AWARDS

Museum will honor historian and preservationist Dan Morrill with Charlotte Gem Award and The May 20th Society with new Keystone Award

The Charlotte Museum of History will host the 2025 Charlotte Gem Preservation Awards on May 8 at The Casey. Dan Morrill receives the Charlotte Gem Award and The May 20th Society gets the new Keystone Award. Seven preservation projects will also be recognized. Features include fire dancers, a drumline, and vintage fire trucks, with proceeds supporting historic preservation.

MUSEUM EXHIBIT SHARES HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA’S MOST LEGENDARY DOCUMENT, THE MECKLENBURG DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, ON ITS 250TH ANNIVERSARY

Ever wondered why the date May 20, 1775, appears on North Carolina’s state flag, its state seal and even its license plates? Or why some North…

The Charlotte Museum of History will open "Meck Dec 250" on May 20, 2025, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The exhibit features Revolutionary-era artifacts, modern memorabilia, and an interactive diorama of 1775 Charlotte. Special tours of the 1774 Rock House will be offered May 24 from 11:30am-3:30pm. The exhibit runs through March 2026.

POPULAR FESTIVAL CELEBRATES AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Eighth African American Heritage Festival focuses on the Black experience in rural Mecklenburg County

The theme of this year’s festival is "Black Country" and emphasizes the African American experience in rural Mecklenburg County over time, including Black farming. The festival will include a Farmers Market featuring fresh produce, handmade crafts and unique local products.

THE QUEEN CITY CELEBRATES ALL THINGS “BRIDGERTON” WITH SERIES AUTHOR JULIA QUINN

“Bridgerton” enthusiasts will have two opportunities to meet Quinn on Feb. 15. They can attend a free author Q&A with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library midday at Queens University or join the author that evening at the Charlotte Museum of History for a party inspired by the glitz and glamour of Quinn’s Regency-era novels.

EXPLORE NORTH CAROLINA’S RICH HISTORY OF WHISKEY AND MOONSHINE DISTILLING AT HISTORY MUSEUM’S ANNUAL TWELFTH NIGHT PARTY

Kick off your new year with a Twelfth Night party at the Charlotte Museum of History on Saturday, Jan. 4, from 6-9 p.m., featuring festive music and…

You’ll experience history through all your senses—watch exclusive moonshine-making demonstrations, enjoy tastings of locally-crafted spirits, hear Dr. Megan Cherry explain 18th-century southern distilling practices and step back in time with historic cooking demonstrations in the museum’s restored log kitchen.

CHARLOTTE’S ONLY MIDCENTURY MODERN HOME TOUR RETURNS FOR 13TH YEAR

Charlotte’s Mad About Modern home tour returns for its 13th year on Saturday, Sept. 28, showcasing some of the best historic midcentury modern homes in the city. Tickets include access to four historic midcentury homes representing four unique styles of architecture and design, highlighting the breadth of the midcentury movement in Charlotte.

Charlotte Museum of History to Celebrate Re-Open Historic Kitchen with Award-Winning Author and Chef Michael Twitty

“Carolinas Home Cooking” event will feature cooking demonstrations, local barbeque, and a focus on African American culinary traditions

After significant restoration work, the Charlotte Museum of History announces the re-opening of the historic kitchen on the site of the 1774 Rock House. The Museum will host a day of cooking, learning, and exploring the historic homesite. The event will feature James Beard Award-winning author Michael Twitty, alongside local chefs from Johnson & Wales University, Bobbee O's Barbeque, and more.

OLDEST HOME IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY GETS SIX-FIGURE GRANT FOR RESTORATION

Gift from the National Park Service one of the largest public grants in the museum’s history

Only nineteen historic sites from around the nation were selected for this round of funding, one of which was the Charlotte Museum of History, which was awarded $444,500 to complete restoration work on the 1774 Rock House, the oldest home in Mecklenburg County. The house is the former home of Hezekiah Alexander, one of the framers of North Carolina’s first constitution and first bill of rights.

CHARLOTTE MUSEUM OF HISTORY TO CELEBRATE OPENING OF RESTORED 1920s-ERA SILOAM SCHOOL ON JUNE 15

Landmark of Black History Reopens After Eight-Year Fundraising and Restoration Effort

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 14, 2024 –After an eight-year fundraising and restoration endeavor, the Charlotte Museum of History is thrilled to announce that the restored Siloam School—a vital piece of Charlotte's history—will open its doors to the public on Saturday, June 15 at 10:30 a.m. with a special homecoming event and ribbon cutting ceremony at the museum.

HISTORY MUSEUM ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2024 CHARLOTTE GEM PRESERVATION AWARDS

Museum to honor Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio with Charlotte Gem Award and Catawba Nation’s Cultural Center with Excellence in…

The Charlotte Museum of History will honor winners of the annual Charlotte Gem Preservation Awards at the museum’s premier fundraising event on Thursday, May 9, at The Revelry in historic Camp North End.

NEW CHARLOTTE MUSEUM EXHIBIT HONORS NC-BORN FOUNDER OF NATION’S FIRST BLACK OPERA COMPANY

“Open Wide the Door” is the first museum exhibit about Mary Cardwell Dawson and her Groundbreaking National Negro Opera Company

Next month the Charlotte Museum of History will unveil the first-ever museum exhibit about Mary Cardwell Dawson, a North Carolina native who founded the nation’s first commercially successful Black opera company in 1941.

FESTIVAL CELEBRATES AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Seventh African American Heritage Festival focuses on education and community

Get free admission to the Charlotte Museum of History and celebrate Charlotte’s Black history and culture on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the seventh African American Heritage Festival, hosted by the history museum. This year’s festival also includes a documentary film screening on Thursday night and a Caribbean Carnival event Friday night.

HISTORY MUSEUM HOSTS CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT FEATURING NORTH CAROLINA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA ON JAN. 25

Concert is first in a series of 2024 events to honor the 250th anniversary of Charlotte’s oldest home, the 1774 Rock House

As part of the evening, special guest Patricia Ann Neely will discuss the often-overlooked works of people of color during the Baroque period, including violin virtuoso, conductor and composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges. Neely is a music historian and the first person of color to become a professional on the viola de gamba.

New Museum Exhibit Celebrating Charlotte Hornets' 35th Anniversary Set To Open Oct. 10

The "Hive at 35" will feature Hornets artifacts and memorabilia, dating back to the team's inaugural season as an expansion team in 1988-89.

Presented by Lowe’s, the exhibit will include interactive spaces, a timeline of Carolinas professional basketball history and a variety of artifacts. The “Hive at 35” exhibit officially opens on Tuesday, Oct. 10, and will be included as part of regular museum admission. All Hornets season ticket holders will receive a single-day pass for free museum admission to see the exhibit.

Community Project Saves Historic Black School, Moves Building to New Home on Museum Campus in Charlotte

1920s-era Siloam School Will Become a Center for History Education

After raising $1.2 million, today a community project moved the historic Siloam School from northeast Charlotte to the eight-acre campus of the Charlotte Museum of History, where it will become a center for history education. A local Black community in northeast Charlotte built the school in the early 1920s to give their children a quality education despite segregation.

Charlotte’s only midcentury modern home tour returns for 12th year

New this year, the Mad About Modern home tour includes a VIP ticket option and antique car show.

Charlotte’s Mad About Modern home tour returns for its 12th year on Saturday, Sept. 30. Tickets include access to a special kickoff event on Sept. 28 at the Charlotte Museum of History, which presents the tour. For the first time, this year’s tour also offers a VIP ticket option that includes guided home tours via private shuttle bus.

Free Film Screening of Documentary About the Early Chinese Experience in the Segregated South

Join the Charlotte Museum of History on July 27th for a screening of "Far East Deep South".

The screening event of “Far East Deep South: Discover the Past You Never Knew” is free and includes light food and refreshments. There will be an audience Q&A after the screening with the film’s co-producer and subject, Baldwin Chiu, and its director and co- producer, Larissa Lam. More information on the film is at fareastdeepsouth.com.

History Museum Welcomes New U.S. Citizens On Independence Day

The Charlotte Museum of History will once again celebrate Independence Day with a Naturalization Ceremony for new U.S. citizens on the Fourth of July.

The ceremony takes place on July 4 at 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public. The event will include music, a brief keynote address and opportunities to register to vote. The ceremony will conclude with a ringing of the museum’s American Freedom Bell, modeled on the Liberty Bell and one of the largest ground-level bells in the world.